Essay Collection on Holi for Students

On Jun 3, 2022

Holi – Essay 1.

Introduction

Holi can be described as one of the most common festivals among Indians. It is a festivity that usually takes place during the spring season in the country of India. The name Holi is believed to have originated from ancient Sanskrit texts and records. The origin of the festival is believed to be India but through the years, the festivity has gained popularity on other parts of the world where people engage in similar acts as those that the people of India take part in.

Examples of other countries where the celebrations have spread to include Nepal and other Western countries. It is festival that is used to mark how evil can be defeated by good. This is symbolized by the beginning of the spring season after the winter season. Holi is a festival that is also known by other names such as festival of colours or the festival of love.

History

Holi is a festival that has been celebrated in India since the ancient times. Ancient records have shown that the festival was initially known as Holika. Dasakumara Charita and Puranas are the first to have acknowledged the festival as seen from records as old as from the 4^th century. The ‘Ratnavali’ drama that took place in the 7^th century also mentioned the festivity. The British colonial rulers and the early traders who came to India got to learn of the festivity. The old English Oxford dictionary has also mentioned the festivity in its earlier records.

Festival of colours

Holi is a festival that is also known as the festival of colours. It is a day when people get to play with colours where they playfully fight each other with colours. The day that is set aside for people to play with colours does not involve any Puja. The day is rather set aside for friends and families to have fun. People purchase liquid colours or powdered colours prior to the festivity which they will apply on the face and other body parts of their friends and families. Playing with colours is a ritual that can take place anywhere including on the streets, parks, homes and temples.

The colours that are currently being used to commemorate Holi as a festival are different from the ancient colours. The ancient people used traditional colours that were extracted directly from plants. However, currently, people are using commercially purchased colours. Any colour can be used to mark Holi as a festival of colours and no colours are restricted. Holi as a festival of colours also sees other practices taking place such as dancing, singing and sharing meals.

Why we celebrate Holi

One of the reasons as to why people celebrate Holi is to commemorate the Vishnu legend. It is a legend that is used to show how evil can be defeated by good. The legend talks about King Hiranyakashipu who had five powers that made him special. The powers gave him pride and he hence forced the people to worship him as he considered himself to be a god. His son Prahlada however, did not support his actions as he was a firm believer of the Hindu called Vishnu. His faith made his father angry. Prahlada’s aunt who was called Holika tricked him on one occasion to sit with her on a pyre. Holika had a cloak that she used to cover her from being burnt but Prahlada did not have one. The cloak however flew from Holika and went to Prahlada and covered him while Holika The Hindu god Vishnu was also able to defeat Hiranyakashipu. The victories of both Vishnu and Prahlada are the reason as to why the festival marks the defeat of evil by good.
The Krishna legend is also another reason as to why people celebrate Holi. The legend gives the festivity the name of festival of love as it remembers the love that Radha had for Krishna.
People also celebrate Holi for cultural reasons. The day offers a perfect platform where people can go and make new friends and reconcile with friends and family.
People celebrate Holi so that they can bond with their friends and families. The activities that take place on this day make it possible for people to play and bond with each other.
The Holi festival is also celebrated to mark a new beginning. It marks the beginning of the winter season after the end of the spring season.

What happens during Holi?

The main activity that happens during Holi is people playing with colours. Friends and families play with different colours where they smear each other on their faces and clothes.
People also get to enjoy traditional meals which they share with their friends and family members.
People also get involved in song and dance. The singing and dancing take place after people break from the colour fighting ritual. People dance in groups and traditional drums are also played.
In the Braj region, the women playfully beat the men in a ritual where the men are expected to surrender themselves.

Celebrating Holi in an eco-friendly way

One of the ways of celebrating Holi in an eco-friendly way is ensuring that they do not take part in the festival of colours near water bodies. The colours that people play with may cause the pollution of water bodies once they get swept away.
One can also ensure that they do not use heavy metal pigment colours. These are hazardous to the environment. Instead, one can opt to use traditional colour

Conclusion

Holi is a festival that has been celebrated since the ancient day India. The festival originated in India due to religious ties that make up the history of the festivity. However, over time, this festival has gained worldwide popularity and it is now celebrated on other countries apart from India. The festival of colours has been attributed to causing environmental damage due to the bonfires and colours that people play with. However, one should ensure that they find ways that they celebrate Holi in an eco-friendly way.

Short Essay on Holi for Students – 2

Holi is celebrated in almost all parts of India. It is also known as the festival of love and festival of colors as on this same day people are getting united together and forgetting all the bad feelings and resentments towards each other. This festival lasts for two days and night. It has been given different names in different parts of the country.

Holi is a festival of colors where everyone plays with colors and water. People use plain colors, or with spray bottles which are displayed in markets for many days.

The previous night of Holi is marked by a bonfire symbolizing burning up of evil, around which people gather and pray.

Children and grownups alike look forward to the festive dishes and other foods once playing with colors and the cleaning is over.

Holi has an important place in films since so many songs are pictured on this one theme. They are in turn played out on the loudspeakers during the days.

Owing to the chemicals that were being introduced in the past years, people have moved on to using natural and organic colors.

Also since water is used a lot for playing colours, in recent year’s people have moved to play dry Holi with only the colors in awareness of water conservation.

In some parts of India, people consume a dry fruit based milk drink Thandai.

Conclusion: Holi is a much-awaited festival of fun and frolic.

Short Essay on Holi Festival – 3

Introduction

Holi is also known as “the festival of colors” and “the festival of love and compassion”. Celebrations are typically marked by the splashing or throwing of colors on family and friends. It is a spring festival and perhaps the happiest and most colorful religious festival of the Hindus.

Holi Festival is widely celebrated in India, Nepal and other places with Hindu population. In recent times, this festival has also gained acceptance among Non-Hindus as a spring festival of love and colors.

It is celebrated on the first day of Chaitra. It makes the beginning of the spring. The beauty of nature makes this festival colorful.

The lovely flowers with their dazzling colors and the sweet songs of the cuckoo offer a charming background to Holi.

Celebration of Holi

The Holi celebrations begin on the last day of Phalgun. People collect sticks and straws lying in streets at a place. At night they gather at that place and set fire to the huge pile of sticks and straws. They sing songs to the accompaniment of drums. They are mad with joy. They break up when the fire fades out.

The main celebration follows the next day. People are in a happy mood. They sprinkle colored water on another. They smear their faces with colored powders. Children spray colored water on the passes-by.

After the winter spell, the onset of spring is a good opportunity celebrations. Holi festival is joyfully celebrated across villages, towns and cities, and by all people – rich and poor, young and old. Even the old people are mad with joy. All people are in a jolly mood. They forget social distinctions. They mix with all freely. In villages people move about with colored water. They sing, dance, and jump about. They beat drums and sing loudly in a chorus. In the evening they visit their friends and neighbors.

After playing holi, many people get together again in the evening to celebrate the occasion with delicious food and desserts. Some people also wear new clothes on this occasion.

Why do we celebrate Holi?

Holi is celebrated to mark the triumph of good over evil. It stems from ancient Indian mythology.
Holi is marked at the onset of spring and is meant to celebrate harvest or fertility. It celebrates new life as well as energy associated with the season of spring.
Holi is also called the festival of love because love and compassion is celebrated during the festivities.
Holi is a traditional Hindu festival, it is a way of expressing the rich cultural and traditional heritage of the Hindus.

Its Importance

Holi is an important festival of the Hindus, they feel pride in performing the traditional rituals. As a festival of joy, it gives us the message of friendship and goodwill. On this occasion we forget our old quarrels and mix with all freely. Our society is stratified society and divided into several classes into sever castes and classes. The colors of Holi removes the distinction between rich, poor, high-caste and low-caste. It is a happy occasion when we forget our cares and anxieties.

Evils of Holi

Holi has some evils as follows:

Some people get drunk and indulge in rowdy behavior.
Some people sing indecent songs and abuse women. This should never happen. There is a need for moral lessons to be taught.
Synthetic colors contain harmful chemicals that are dangerous for health. These colors may cause eye irritation or skin problems.
Chemicals colors may contain insoluble metal particles. These solid particles may pollute the water.
Careless throwing of water balloons during Holi causes plastic pollution.

Conclusion

We should celebrate Holi in a decent way. We must realize that it is a festival of joy and friendship. We should share our joy with others. We must not behave badly. The real spirit of the festival should be maintained.

What does Holi Festival Mean? – 4

Holi, the festival of colours, means different things to various people depending on the region that one comes from and the faith that is practiced. There are, however, basic meanings of Holi that cut across borders and religions. So what does the festival mean?

It has a cultural meaning: During the celebrations, the Indian culture is also celebrated in the way that people dress, how they come together, and also in the types of foods that are eaten during this time.

A festival of colours: This annual festival is a colourful affair filled with coloured lights, paints, powders, clothing and flowers. Holi Festival is also known as the Festival of Colours. Another alternative name is The Festival of Sharing Love.

A spring festival: Holi is a spring festival, usually taking place around mid March. Holi is a festival that celebrates the arrival of spring both literally and metaphorically.

A religious festival: Holi is a religious festival that is part of the Hindu calendar. Holi is celebrated to pay tribute to Lord Krishna and other religious legends found in Hindu mythologies. It is not just a time to make merry but also to worship and do good in the community.

It means that good will always win over evil: Some people trace Holi back to a Hindu mythology in which demons are vanquished. The name Holi comes from the name of one of these female demons. It symbolizes that at the end of it all, good will always emerge victorious over bad.

In Hinduism, the day of Holi festival marks a day of love, compassion, colour, happiness, as well as agricultural productivity. The Holi festival, therefore, is significant religiously, socially, and culturally. To some people, however, it presents a good opportunity to generate sales and high profits. Thus, the festival means different things to different people.

How is Holi Celebrated? – 5

Holi is one of the largest celebrations in Indian culture. It is celebrated by the Hindus and marks the Hindu festival of colors.

Holi festival marks the arrival of spring. As well as celebrating the fecundity of the earth, Holi recognizes the triumph of good and knowledge of evil and ignorance. The Holi celebrations is known for attracting big crowds who wear colorful clothes.

Duration: It takes only two days with the first day being the chhoti holi and the second day being and the second day being the Rangwali holi.

The night before holi: The night before Holi starts with a Holika bonfire. The Hindus perform traditional religious rituals and rites in front of the fire. They also pray that their internal evils to be cleansed.

The day of Rangwali Holi: In the morning, which now is the Rangwali Holi, it is a joyous day since they do dance, play, chase and color one another be it kids, men, women and even youths.

The sight of friends chasing one another for throwing colourful powder is common.
All this takes place in the streets, grounds and even buildings.
The participants also do sing and dance while playing drums from one area to another.
While moving from one area to another, the celebration is marked with sharing of sweets as well as drinks.

After the whole day of celebration, people do visit friends and family in the evening or just relax at home.

Importance of Holi festival – 6

Holi is an important festival of Hindus. The importance of the great Hindu festival is discussed below in points:

1. Festival of Colours: People squirt coloured water on friendly passers-by and cook many types of sweets and food. Hence, it is also known as “Festival of Colours”. It is celebrated nearly for two to three days.

2. It welcomes the spring season: It is celebrated during spring season that comes in February end or early March, as it welcomes spring season.

3. Symbolic: In the evening preceding the colour festival, bonfires are lit where people gathers, dance and sing. These symbolize the burning of Holika and the destruction of Evil.

4. Forgive others: On this day, people meet and repair any ruptured relationships, laugh, and play and forgive each other.

5. Major festival for North Indians: It is celebrated with great enthusiasm in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Delhi, especially in the northern parts of India.

6. Caste distinction is abandoned: Holi is the only festival where caste distinction is abandoned. People forget the caste, class, or race of one another. As the clothes, face, and body of all these people are filled up with colours, nobody can distinguish between the rich and the poor. On this day, there are hugs and wishes everywhere. People hug each other and wish “Happy Holi”.

7. Get together: After the colouring part, at evening, people dress themselves in good clothes and visits family and friends.

8. Mythological Significance: There is an interesting story behind the celebration of Holi festival. Once upon a time, there was the king of demons named Hiranyakashyap. He had a son named Prahlad.

However, Hiranyakashyap wanted to take life of his son, as he was the greatest devotee of Hindu God Vishnu.

Holika, the sister of the Hiranyakashyap, had a magical robe, which has the power to save the wearer from burning. Therefore, he asked his sister and his son to sit on burning fire.

However, the result was not in favour of him. Holika was burnt to death and Prahlad came out alive. It proved that one cannot harm the person who has God as his savior. The next day is celebrated with colours.

The day is called “Holi” after the name of Holika, and it marks the victory of goodness over evil.